Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Regional Planning Funding Cut and I‑73 Feasibility Study Draw Pushback from Urban‑Revitalization Group
Summary
Greater Ohio Policy Center urged the Senate to restore $5 million per year for regional transportation planning organizations and to remove a $2 million study requirement for Interstate Route 73, arguing the work duplicates ODOT's recently released STDA report.
Jason Warner, director of strategic engagement at the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC), told the Senate Transportation Committee that the House version of the transportation budget removes funding for regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs) and includes a requirement and $2 million for an Interstate 73 feasibility study that GOPC regards as duplicative.
"House Bill 54 removes $5,000,000 in each fiscal year, which otherwise would be used by Ohio’s six regional RTPOs," Warner said, and GOPC asked the Senate to restore that funding. He said the RTPO program has invested in 35 projects since fiscal year 2022 but that more than 180 requests remain unfunded, totaling over $112 million.
Warner also urged the Senate to remove a House requirement and funding that would direct ODOT to study an Interstate Route 73 corridor primarily along US‑23. He said ODOT on Feb. 14 released a Strategic Transportation Development Analysis (STDA) that reviewed the same corridors and found that an alternative interstate freeway generally was not recommended because of costs and limited travel‑time benefit.
Why it matters: RTPO funding supports rural transportation planning and project advancement; GOPC said cutting the earmark would hinder rural counties. GOPC also argued the I‑73 study would duplicate work already completed by ODOT in the STDA and recommended the Senate drop the provision.
Details from testimony
- GOPC asked the Senate to restore $5 million per fiscal year for RTPOs; Warner cited ODOT’s 2024 RTPO impact report documenting 35 projects funded since FY2022 and more than 180 unfunded requests.
- House Bill 54 requires ODOT to conduct a feasibility study for an Interstate Route 73 corridor along US‑23 by 12/31/2026 and reserves $2 million for that study; GOPC argued ODOT’s STDA already reviewed US‑23 segments and recommended more targeted corridor improvements rather than building an alternative interstate.
- GOPC encouraged the Senate to prioritize other pressing transportation needs rather than fund a potentially duplicative study.
What the testimony did not include
Committee record shows no formal amendment or vote on restoring RTPO funding or removing the I‑73 study provision during this hearing.
Ending
Warner asked the Senate to restore RTPO funding and to remove the I‑73 study directive from House Bill 54, citing the STDA recommendations and urging lawmakers to focus limited funds on higher‑priority projects.
